


Feint

by PaP



Series: Echoes/Reflections [3]
Category: Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Black Arms, Character Analysis, Deconstruction, Depression, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Interspecies Romance, Introspection, Morality, Rouge is kind of the true villain here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 08:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20636471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaP/pseuds/PaP
Summary: At least they had each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Feint**

Shadow's eyes roll languidly back into his skull. Remarkably, he's unconscious yet still standing, seemingly held upright by Rouge's well-placed boot.

Appalled by her actions, she yanks hard, extracting her heel from his flesh with a sound that brings up bile in her throat.

Released, his knees buckle and he tips forward, freefalling in a display of flaccid elegance.

Topaz shrieks as the hedgehog collapses on top of her, his head hitting her stomach.

* * *

"No."

Omega fizzles.

"No, no, no!"

Shadow is unresponsive.

Rouge sinks her fingernails into her scalp, trying to stay calm, trying to think.

Topaz darts from body to body, crouching to check their vital signs, personally attending to the dozen or so human soldiers under her command that litter the ground like dropped toys. To her, the answer becomes increasingly clear.

* * *

"It wasn't his fault. He wasn't in control."

"How do you know that?"

"When he looked at me, he wasn't 'there' anymore."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It isn't his fault, honey. It's mine."

"What do you mean?"

"He confided in me. We talked about the sensations in his head. Like echoes, he said."

"What?"

"He isn't crazy. I think he was trying to describe some sort of lingering influence from the Black Arms invasion."

"So, he's been compromised?"

"Maybe."

"He's dangerous."

"He needs help."

"We can't trust him anymore."

"And we can't put him down like one of your sickly pets."

"He's a weapon. Unpredictable. He's not like–"

"He's my friend! Who are you to assess his personhood?"

"Enough." Topaz gestures with the gun, as if able to somehow shoo Rouge away. "Step aside."

The bat lowers her head, cradling Shadow's unconscious body against hers, shielding him from harm.

"I told you to move."

"No," she says, suddenly eerily quiet.

"Get out of my way, Rouge. That's an order."

"Look at me, honey. Do I look dangerous, to you?"

The human deflates, her aim wavering.

"I could rip you apart if I wanted to. You and that little gun of yours."

"Is that a threat?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Rouge, for the last time, I order you to stand down."

"I won't hurt you. How could I?"

Someone groans.

"But I won't stand aside and let you hurt him, either. So, if you pull that trigger, you'll have to shoot us both."

"Rouge…"

"But I know you won't."

"Don't."

"Because I trust you."

* * *

"Are your men okay?"

"They're alive."

Rouge shakily wipes her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Topaz nods slowly.

"This… It won't ruin us, right?"

"I've called for an evac," says the human, ignoring the bat's question.

"Oh."

For a while, there is silence.

"I'm not letting GUN take him. They'll consider him a traitor. They'll have little reason to be kind."

"If you aid his escape, you'll be seen as a traitor, too."

"Or his hostage."

"This is madness."

"Maybe."

"What, are you gonna run away with him?"

"I'm gonna try."

"Madness."

Rouge suddenly seizes Topaz by the hand.

"Don't say it."

"Come with me."

"You're asking me to uproot my life."

"Yes."

"To end my career."

"Yes."

"To rub shoulders with the monster that tried to kill me."

"I know I'm being greedy and repugnant."

The human craves a cigarette.

"Someone has to take care of him. After what he did to Omega, I guess that duty is mine alone, now. But who will take care of me?"

"You're right. This is greedy and repugnant."

The bat averts her cold eyes.

"But I don't want to lose you, again."

* * *

Topaz tosses Shadow into the back of the car like a sack of potatoes, then wipes the sweat from her brow.

"Would you buckle him in, please?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Thanks, honey."

"Uh-huh."

The hedgehog's slumped head is impatiently pushed aside to afford the winding seatbelt greater room, grazing his cheek in passing.

Eyes closed, Rouge listens to the click of the buckle, then the slam of the door, followed by the trudging of heavy boots that approach the driver's side. "Can I say something, before we get going?"

Topaz slides behind the wheel, slamming her door shut, too.

"I'm not very nice to you. I know that."

"You aren't, most of the time."

"You deserve better. When this is all over, I'd like to change for you, for the better."

"I think I'd like that."

The bat smiles. "You've kept that ring I gave you, all those years ago. You're wearing it now."

"I haven't broken it."

"The battlefield is no place for such fine jewellery."

They're silent for a few seconds.

"You never did explain to me why you gave me this ring, of all your little trinkets."

"You're considering the implications."

"Am I wrong?"

"Oh, my darling," Rouge murmurs, then yawns.

"You should get some sleep."

"You're right. But I'm wide awake, thinking of various ways to somehow make this up to you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"The prospects thus far are depressing."

"We might figure something out. You might change."

"Maybe. You're really very special, you know?"

"I know."

"I'm glad. I don't want you to forget that, even when I do treat you badly, sometimes. Even if I don't change."

"Alright."

"I mean it. And… thank you. For tagging along for the ride. For helping Shadow."

"I'm not doing this for Shadow. I'm here to take care of you, remember?"

"I'll try not to forget it, even when I'm treating you badly."

"Right." Topaz jabs the key into the ignition and turns it.

"You do realise that we haven't planned beyond this point." The bat tucks her wings more snugly around herself in response to the rumbling of the engine.

"Yeah. Mind if I hum?"

"You normally do that when you're nervous."

"I'm a bit nervous."

"Hum as much as you need to, honey. I like the sound of your voice."

"Thanks." The human unexpectedly sniggers.

"What's so funny?"

"I just realised, I can try humming along to that song you like."

"The one about butts?"

"Exactly."

"It really is a terrible song."

For now, perhaps the moonlight is enough.


	2. Chapter 2

The forested wilderness stretches across the skyline on either side of the earthy road. The cityscape they left behind has seemingly been swallowed by the winding green.

"It's just nature, honey."

"I can see that."

"It's not gonna bite you. Although, the grass might tickle your lady parts."

"How reassuring."

"It's nothing you can't handle." Rouge reaches over to affectionately punch Topaz on the arm. "Right, champ?"

The bat's mostly bogus show of positivity is enough to garner an unintended wince from the human.

They're both tired and they both know that this situation is hardly happy.

"C'mon, soldier. It's easy. You just find yourself a nice private place, pop a squat and think about something else whilst you're doing it!"

"Uh-huh."

"You should know. You've done it before. And back then, you were surrounded by sweaty, manly men with guns who were probably all looking to pee, too. At least here there's plenty of privacy to be found. I can hardly see beyond the first few trees."

"What makes the situation more absurd is that you're the one giving me advice and pep talk about peeing in the woods."

"Hey, I've peed outdoors before, you know."

"Still seems absurd."

"You clearly underestimate me."

Topaz gazes solemnly into the unknowns of the forest, unimpressed by the convenient – albeit pointlessly flimsy and transparent – cover-up calculated to serve as some sort of conversation.

Knowing that the idea of urinating in the woods isn't really what's bothering the human, Rouge reaches across the car once more, but the bat is too late to touch. She hesitated.

Topaz has already moved out of reach, pushing her door open and swinging her lower body to plant a boot on the grass outside, followed shortly by another. With a push, she stands at her full height, then looks back.

Hand still extended, Rouge's prior attempt is made plainly clear. It's humbling, although she has eyes a lot like the gemstones she adores. Hard, cold, beautiful.

"You coming?"

"I'd like to wait with Shadow, if that's okay."

The human nods stiffly, dully watching the retreat of that hand. "Shout if there's trouble."

The bat wants to say more, but the door slams shut.

Topaz soon vanishes within the trees.

Disappointed, Rouge listens to the receding footfalls in the foliage for a few seconds longer before turning to gaze upon Shadow.

The hedgehog is an assortment of bent limbs and tussled quills. There's a faint mark on the window resembling the shape of his profile, albeit distorted in places.

"Hi, hon," she ventures cautiously. She's unsure exactly why.

He predictably says nothing.

"Here." She nimbly slides between the front seats to perch beside him, reaching for his shoulders. "Let me straighten you out."

He bends when moved, doll-like, as if kept together by loose sinews.

She hoists him into a more dignified sitting position under the twisted seatbelt. "That's better, huh?"

His head slumps to one side.

She takes his cheeks between her hands, setting him straight again, her fingers lithely traversing his face to delicately brush away crust from his eyes and wipe patiently at a trail of saliva. "Much better."

The leaves shift in a breeze, rustling all around.

"Listen, honey. Can I just… say some stuff? Real talk, you know?"

He'd almost certainly raise a brow if he wasn't unconscious.

"I get it. There's probably no point, other than to make this guilt a little easier to bear, if that's even possible. I'm not sure I'll have the courage to repeat myself when you're awake, but…"

The pause that follows is unnecessary, as there is no reply to fill the space.

"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry." She breathes more heavily into their shared air. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

His head is heavy in her hands.

"Despite the trust between us, I had no choice. The only way I could stop you was by disabling you. I had to, for her sake. You understand, right?"

He trembles, because Rouge trembles.

"Look at you," she murmurs, pressing their foreheads together. "Look at what I've done to you."

* * *

Topaz is having a cigarette. She takes slow, hungry puffs of it, leaning back against a tree with her eyes closed. Smoking is like an itch that she can't scratch in public. It doesn't relax her. Instead, she feels used and ashamed.

* * *

"You ruined us. Team Dark is finished, thanks to you."

Shadow cannot explain his actions and it's infuriating.

"You should've gotten help, like I told you to. Like I begged of you when you woke me with your screaming. Why didn't you? Why didn't I force you to? Did you think you were beyond help? Did I?" Rouge shakes him, butting their heads together. "You broke Omega and I think you broke my heart. You've left me with your mess to clean and I've got Topaz as my hostage. Do you understand?"

He's wearing the fancy cologne she got for him. It doesn't mask his sweat, his underlying musk. It enhances the mixture, making it toxic.

In the confusing, emotional haze her bright eyes dart, rediscovering his mouth.

* * *

Topaz steps on the spent cigarette, snuffing it out under her heavy boot. She returns to the path she had trodden through the grass, navigating her way between the trees, retracing her steps back toward the car.

Rouge shakily retakes her seat as the driver's door is yanked open. She catches a whiff of tobacco with the influx of fresh air.

The human sits and listens to the panting breaths of the bat. Topaz senses the strange bodily electricity of excitement that radiates off of Rouge, almost contagious.

They avoid eye contact. Neither is in the position to throw any accusations around.

The engine starts with a stutter.

* * *

Shadow's head rattles against the glass. Slumped heavily and straining beneath a cutting seatbelt with every lurch of his unresponsive body, he leaves sweat and dribble streaked across his window.

"You sure he isn't dead?"

"Don't you start."


	3. Chapter 3

"Thought I'd find you up here."

Rouge groggily lifts her head from her knees by a fraction, just enough to peek almost fearfully upon Topaz.

The human leans out of the car, its door open wide, gazing toward the bat atop the roof with a look that is less hard than before; a mixed expression of anger, frustration, worry, regret, and something tender and disappointed underlying the mess of emotions.

They stare at each other for seconds more without talking, before the silence is gently ended.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure? We've got crackers, nice salty crackers – the flavour you like."

"I'm not sure I can stomach even those."

"Would you at least drink a little water?"

"Why do you care about me?"

Topaz heaves a sigh, rising from the front seat to stand beside the car on aching legs. "I'm not sure how to answer that."

"I'm so cruel. Not only to you, but to Shadow, to Knuckles, to myself."

"You said you want to try to change."

"But what if I can't?"

Silence, again, for a brief interval.

"I'm an awful person, aren't I?"

The human manages to remain calm, somehow, and applies herself to stretching – a process that is accompanied by a cacophony of strained cartilage and a grunt.

"I should've never forced you into this. I'm so selfish."

Suddenly, Topaz manages with startling ease to nimbly mount the vehicle, vaulting herself onto the empty space of the rooftop beside the bat.

Rouge is swayed with the motions of the car, but manages to maintain balance.

"It's nice up here, isn't it?"

"Why are you being so nice? I don't deserve it."

The human tries to smile at the dimmed silhouette of the landscape. "You don't have to hide from me, you know."

"What I've done to you… I can't even say aloud what I did to him."

"I've shot people, you know."

The bat buries her head in her drawn knees again, embracing herself, tiny and vulnerable.

"There are labels for the people I've shot – it's easy to call them 'terrorists' or 'insurgents' instead of people, but I shot them, and I sometimes think about that."

A breeze stirs, filtered through a crack in the window to waft faintly upon Shadow's blank face.

"I'm not sure I'm a good person, either, but I recognise I am flawed. I'm not saying that makes it all okay, since I don't even know what to say about some of the things I've done – I can only hope that I haven't gone too far, to change."

A large hand settles on Rouge's back, persuading the bat to lift her head from her knees for a cautious sideways gaze.

"I'm not asking you to change for me, a flawed person. But I'm not saying you should continue to do what's wrong, either." Topaz speaks quietly, her voice conveying as much presence as her hand. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, you aren't the only one of us who doesn't like herself, because of mistakes and wrongs of the past. And you aren't the only one who wonders if she is so set in her ways, that she might not know how to change, or be able to."

"Honey."

"Who am I to try to teach morals, to say what's right if I myself don't do what's right? I worry that the effort is wasted, or that I'm going about this all wrong. I'm sorry and I don't know what to do. I barely know what to think. Especially when the world seems to compromise me over and over again, like the disturbance that spins a compass – do I have a compass?"

"Could you still continue caring for me, if I can't change, or if I don't?"

The human's smile is gone. "You make it difficult."

After hesitation, Rouge leans over, but finds no shelter nestled against Topaz.

"We need to get some sleep, soon."

"Are we gonna be okay?"

Silence.

* * *

Churning tyres and the stuttering, fitful rumble of the engine.

"The car isn't sounding so great, today."

"If we break down, you might have to carry us the rest of the journey."

"I think I'd rather not."

"Uh-huh."

For a while, Rouge has refused to glace at Shadow and hardly looks at Topaz.

The human tries humming, as if as an attempt at consolation.

"The gang probably miss us."

The humming falters.

"Left so suddenly, didn't get much of a chance to explain, to say goodbye." The bat watches her manicured claws, gleaming, fading, whilst unconsciously flexing sturdy fingers. "Maybe this doesn't have to be permanent? Maybe if we just keep hidden for a while, lay low until things die down, we can go back?"

Topaz says nothing to this, which distresses Rouge indescribably.

"What have I done?"

The human almost swerves, so started she is by the uncharacteristic sobbing coming from from the passenger's seat beside her.

The bat has not cried openly like this, before. Not even on the day they parted, although they thought they wouldn't meet again; not even as Rouge placed the ring in Topaz's hand.

The human only allowed herself to cry once the bat was gone. Now, listening to a sound she has not heard before, Topaz feels helpless to assist.

Rouge chokes on her own emotions, unequipped to articulate them, incapable of containing them further, sinking her nails into her thighs with gritted teeth and folded ears.

Shadow does not stir. If he did, he would not know how to respond, either.

It's an astoundingly isolated thing, the bat realises in a corner of her mind, barely legible; to be surrounded by ones she thinks she loves – as if she can possibly understand what love entails – and yet remain distant, out of their reach, somehow alone.

Used to appearing strong and in command, Topaz feels an internal blow, a bruising sense of failure. The human waits, appalled, for the sobbing to cease.

The hedgehog lurches, his skull connecting with the door, thudding dully.


	4. Chapter 4

Topaz busies herself with stripping away any remaining vestiges of her identity as a former part of GUN, tossing her uniform into the open boot of the car before changing into some of the few civilian scraps she was able to stuff hastily into a suitcase, now assembled into an outfit. She knows it's unlikely, but she really hopes she isn't being watched by some photographer hidden in the bushes. It's a very specific concern.

Rouge isn't entirely paying attention – she has been resisting glances in any of the mirrors – until, minutes later, something heavy and faintly musty is deposited on her lap in folds of hardy, worn fabric.

"My old jacket."

"Oh?"

"I've outgrown it. First got it in my awkward teenage years from an ex of mine and I kept it out of, I dunno, maybe sentimentality. But it might fit you alright."

Faced with this bit of the human's history, a youth rarely but fondly spoken about, the bat respectfully nods. "Thanks."

"It's got a hood. I figure you can slip by people with some sort of disguise."

It's so that Rouge won't have to wait in the car with Shadow when they make another stop. But nobody says as much, as openly.

"I appreciate you doing this for me, honey."

Topaz, dressed in a rumpled shirt, faded jeans and what appear to be a previously forgotten pair of jogging shoes, slides back into the driver's seat before handing over a dark pair of sunglasses.

Rouge accepts the outdated shades with a perplexed expression. "How ancient are these?"

"Ancient enough."

A snigger.

"Hey. Those were very fashionable, back in the day."

"I'm sure they were, old lady."

The human realises, with a pang, how much she has missed this biting affection.

"I suspect I'll look very inconspicuous in this disguise," says the bat, a little weakly, but with a smile that could prove dangerous if misused.

The car starts with a splutter.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure we're all sick of sleeping in the car, yes?"

"Yeah, but still, hon. This seems a bit… risky."

"I'm not entirely sure I care for risks – taking them or avoiding them."

"Be careful with that attitude, honey."

"And maybe you're right about that. I'm not even sure I know what I'm doing."

Shadow, wrapped in a blanket, is cradled more considerately in Topaz's arms with his face buried in her shoulder, as if he sleeps.

In her other hand, she has a shopping bag with basic overnight gear, and her gun, hidden under soft layers.

It's to avoid suspicion. But they look very suspicious for trying not to.

The lady behind the desk casts suitably suspicious – and amused – glares between the lump in the blanket, the beleaguered-looking woman holding the blanketed lump, and the small figure garbed in a somewhat oversized jacket with some sort of pointed headgear under the hood, its drawstrings pulled tight to hide much of their face, the rest hidden by shades.

* * *

It was affordable.

Topaz deposits Shadow on a chair, then begins unbuttoning her shirt, making a beeline for the bathroom. It is tiny, much like the room itself, with basic amenities. She hesitates, then glances at Rouge.

The bat is caught staring.

The human blushes rosily. The blush extends along her neck and shoulders.

Hearts pounding.

Minds racing.

She seems to wait, but the expression in her eyes is torn.

Rouge reluctantly looks elsewhere, the bra strap ingrained in her sight regardless.

With an audible sigh, Topaz closes the door, angry at herself, angrier at the other, and perhaps angriest at their circumstances within this narrative.

* * *

Sprawled out on the only bed in the modest room, knowing that sleeping arrangements will need to be made, Rouge resigns herself to staring at Shadow's blanket whilst listening to noises around her, her large ears tracking footsteps across the hall, someone coughing in a neighbouring room, and soon, Topaz humming in the shower.

The human wants a cigarette but she doesn't want to give in, because smoking is unhealthy, but the urge to have a cigarette is still there and she isn't sure how much longer she can resist certain urges, although she tries to reason with herself, or tries to uphold certain blameless values she might have. The urges are there and she is only human.

* * *

Topaz forgot to bring pyjamas into the bathroom. Awkwardly, she opens the door very slightly and requests assistance, with a stern warning to watch out for the gun, but she says it very quietly, the human knowing that the bat will hear her, but the neighbours won't.

Rouge swings herself off of the bed to oblige. She considers the gun for a few seconds – how easy it would be to blow out her own brains – before being reminded of her mission with a polite cough. She leaves the gun, set carefully aside, and takes the pyjamas to the lit gap in the doorway, avoiding any seductive comments or efforts at 'taking a peek' as she likely would've done otherwise, if their circumstances were vastly different, albeit with less enthusiasm than she did years before, before she cared what some might think.

Body wrapped snugly in a towel and an arm reaching through the doorway, Topaz takes hold of the folded pyjamas without eye contact, with a muttered 'thank you,' her fingertips brushing against the other's.

Their hands don't part immediately.

It seems unfair.

The bat doesn't admit how much it hurt, to watch the human close the gap between them with a quiet, yet seemingly final thud, but only after a moment of questioning hesitation to which there was no reply.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Topaz stops towelling her hair, its tomboyish strands tussled, projecting from her in places like the quills of a porcupine – Rouge hasn't met one, but she has seen them, with their spikes being spikier than those of hedgehogs.

"I know my apology doesn't make any of this much better. I know that and I'm sorrier for it."

The human slowly sits down, taking the empty chair beside Shadow. A tiny table is between her and the hedgehog that could've killed her, had the bat not intervened, attacking a valued teammate and curiously intimate companion.

"I've got some cash on me. My apology notwithstanding, could I at least buy you dinner?" Years ago, such a request would've been heavily laden with innuendo, the apology more questionable.

"What're we having, do you think?"

"Probably cheap takeout."

"That sounds nicer than crackers and trail mix."

* * *

Cheap, greasy takeout and soda.

"I'm sorry," says Rouge again, more quietly, yet unreservedly, staring at the burger in her hands. "I am so sorry I've done this to you."

"I guess you're feeling sentimental."

"Please, hon."

Topaz chews methodically.

"I'm so sorry, for what I did to him. For what he did to you, to your men – for what he almost did. There might've been something I could've done to prevent all of this, but I didn't do it. I'm sorry."

The human swallows, then looks at the bat seated on the floor, across from her.

"I'm sorry."

"What's 'us'?"

"Oh, honey."

"Before, you were worried about this ruining 'us' but you didn't define what you meant by 'us.'" Topaz keeps her voice steady. "So, what's 'us'?"

"Going straight for the throat, are you?"

"What did you mean by 'us'?"

Rouge, with little alternative, meets the human's eyes.

"I might already know the answer, but maybe I don't want to acknowledge it." Topaz doesn't seem angry. She seems tired, as if asking one last time for an answer to a common question. "I think I already know. But please, for me, this once, define 'us.'"

"Why?"

"I want to hear you say it, I guess."

"You do know it, already," murmurs the bat. "It's a question you've asked me over and over again and the answer has remained the same."

"Has it? I've gotten conflicting signals from you."

"That's probably because I'm sometimes greedy, repugnant, and I don't enjoy acknowledging it, either."

* * *

"It started the day you met my folks, I recall. This distance between us."

"I thought the space was necessary."

"I know."

"I did it for you."

"I know. Or, at least, I think I understand."

"Yes, I withdrew from you. What else could I do?"

"I think you could've considered marrying me, for real, instead of confusing me with a ring."

"What kind of marriage could we have had? None, that I can tell. I'm pretty sure us getting married would've been illegal, and still is illegal. The human legislators haven't caught up with giving my kind all the rights you humans have. And then there's morality."

"Then maybe you wouldn't have married me. But the ring could've felt more real, or could've had some sort of explanation. I mourned you and I didn't know what the ring meant. For years, I kept this stupid ring of yours that mattered so much to me, and I didn't even know what it meant."

"The ring; I'm not sure what it meant, except that it wasn't a proposal. I'm sorry."

"I see."

"I'm not your type."

"And I might love you – is that wrong?"

"I wonder how often you've asked yourself that. Still, I'm not the kind of girl you take home to meet your parents, am I?"

"They might've accepted us."

"Honey, they didn't approve and you know it."

Topaz chews more fervently.

Rouge says with a flinch, "I wasn't the knight in shining armour they wanted for you and I don't begrudge them for that."

The human misses cigarettes and the bat misses the anonymity of hiding one's emotions.

"And they weren't cruel to me. They still showed me hospitality. I made them laugh. I left the parking lot with you, in your car, in the end, and I watched them wave goodbye with strained smiles. Yet, I remembered the way they looked at us, at our interaction. Saw it in my head. The memory didn't go away, as much as I tried to suppress it. It was the unspoken worry in their eyes I have remembered seeing that day, whenever they glanced between you and I, and it was that unspoken worry that made me realise – I'd seen it in your eyes, too."

Topaz registers something in Rouge's voice, something private, something that tends to be contained.

"I know you're attracted to me, I'm attracted to you, but I'm not a man – I'm not even human. I withdrew from you, tried to be happy with what I could get from you, what I could give, with the distance between us, and believe me, you've made me very happy when you haven't made me miserable. And, yeah, maybe I regret my decision, but what was I to do? Wasn't our 'us' enough? Couldn't it be enough?"

"I don't recall even being offered friendship with benefits."

"I know that isn't what you're looking for, hon; not from me."

The human doesn't want to listen to this. Not anymore. It feels cruel, to have pushed the bat for an answer that had been confusedly communicated before, with hesitations and reconsiderations.

"Is it odd, for me, to be so unsure, so self-conscious? Or am I more conscious of you? Normally, I didn't care about what others thought about me. I hardly care for public opinions, now. I'm controversial. I'm used to being mocked and sneered at, or admired and congratulated; depends on who you ask. Except those were your parents I was being introduced to. I… wanted to please them, to please you, but I couldn't. Their opinions mattered because, hey, they made you, didn't they? I care about them because I care about you, honey. I know I'm dysfunctional, but you're very precious to me, you know?"

Topaz waits as Rouge unsteadily gets to her feet.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I wanted to do at least something – one thing – that wasn't wrong." The bat walks in socks without making noise, glancing nervously at the blanketed lump in the chair that is Shadow, as if he might leap out and bite her, or she might leap out and bite him. "Putting you through a relationship that your parents disapproved of would've been hard on you."

"I think you've turned this into a tragedy."

"Wasn't it a tragedy the moment we met?" She scoffs bitterly to herself, finding a wall to lean against. "Putting you in danger wasn't worth my own interests."

"And you might've broken my heart, anyway." The human places the burger on the floor.

"I was trying not to be greedy and repugnant. I guess I might be a terrible person, because you're here, with me, and I manipulated you into doing what I wanted you to do. Pulled at your heartstrings like a puppeteer. My beautiful doll. I've been playing you for years and I'm sickened by the thought that I did it knowingly, sometimes."

"I wanted you to use me, didn't I?"

"It's some sort of alternative to the intimacy we haven't allowed ourselves to have."

Topaz is standing, too.

"In summary; our 'us' is as it is and it cannot be more than this, unless you're okay with compromising the happiness of your parents, and certain values which, as much as you care for me, I know you share with them, because I saw it in your eyes." Rouge bites her lip. It's endearing. She's effortlessly endearing, sometimes, and easily vexing, other times. "And you already knew all this."

"I'm sorry."

"Why make me say it aloud, like that – all at once, without any disguise? To close the door between us, for real?"

"It could've been easier, if…"

"The ring was meant to close the door. When I left, I didn't think I'd see you again, but here we are, in this dingy little room, having the conversation I thought we could avoid."

"If you were a man."

"If I was a man, yes."

"Or, if I was like you."

"I think you mean to say, if you were like Shadow."

The human stands over the bat.

Rouge watches a tear trail the jawline of Topaz.


	5. Chapter 5

Rouge is caged against Topaz's body. Running a hand slowly down her neck. Feeling her pulse pass under bare fingertips. Racing.

* * *

"You think you're the monster?"

* * *

"I have so many regrets, already – they seem so big when I think about them, one at a time, in isolation – what's a few more, when added to the list?"

"That hurts, to hear you say it."

* * *

Shadow stares ahead with an unreadable expression, the leftovers in his hands.

"Honey, I… I'm…"

"You don't have to apologise."

* * *

"It's like you said. I've uprooted your life. I've… stolen you away. My hostage. I don't know how you can want me, precious gemstone."

"Kiss me and maybe you'll see."

Rouge shakes her head, only to be stilled by a hand tucked gently under her chin, drawing her face upward.

"So, maybe we're not perfect." Topaz has unusual eyes, a strong jawline and her trigger fingers are rough, her voice low. "But we're together, aren't we?"

* * *

"Put the gun down, honey. He's himself, again."

* * *

"You shouldn't be with me," one mouth whispers breathily against another.

* * *

"I'm glad I didn't hurt either of you."

Rouge and Topaz scramble apart, the bat's ears flattened, the human reaching for her gun.

* * *

Topaz hesitates.

Rouge sighs.

"I can't."

* * *

The blanket falls away as Shadow stiffly sits upright, rubbing his eyes, his brows, his head, groaning at the disuse and abuse of his body.

* * *

"I… I can't."

"You don't have to." Rouge caresses strands of hair aside, gazing into those unusual eyes, finding them evasive and ashamed.

"Why?" Topaz sniffs moistly, trying not to cry. "Why can't I?"

* * *

A quiet groan from the other side of the room.

* * *

"Where am I?"

Rouge turns to look at Topaz.

Topaz glares at Shadow, gun at her hip, in her tight grip.

Shadow avoids looking at either of them. His expression is blank. He seems limp. Flaccid.

"Honey," says the bat soberly, "we're far from home."

"How far?" The hedgehog is barely audible, even to her ears.

"Some days away, by now."

"I see."

"It… It isn't your fault."

"It kind of is, though."

"Please, honey. Not right now, okay?"

"Typical for you to take his side, again."

"It isn't like that."

"Fine. I'm an idiot, clearly."

"Darling…"

"Clearly!"

"Hon, wait. Topaz!"

"I'm heading outside to gather my thoughts or whatever."

"You… You aren't willing to listen to me right now."

"Maybe I've heard enough, already." The human slips on an old jacket that is too small for her, unimpeded by the subdued pleas of a hand on her back, tucking the gun into an inner pocket. "I'm not like him. You're not like me."

"Please, don't go."

"Why shouldn't I? You've got each other, right?"

"I can shut my mouth. Just stay."

"You really don't understand."

"I… I can try?"

Unusual eyes dart away. "I'll be back shortly."

"Don't."

Topaz turns without a backwards glance, slipping a cigarette between her teeth on the way out.

"Don't go."

The door shuts quietly. Polite enough not to slam.

For a while, silence.

Rouge feels unsteady on her feet.

"You're afraid of me.".

She closes her eyes, swaying.

"I cannot tell you how that feels," whispers Shadow.

* * *

"I've become a monster."

"You think you're the monster? Do you really think you're the monster, here?"

Shadow blinks slowly, his fierce eyes finally meeting Rouge's glare.

"No. No, honey. You're not the monster, here."

"I could've killed all of you."

"You're not the monster, here, honey. I am."

He grits his teeth as she approaches him very suddenly. Intimidating him, by surprise. A slap resounds, but his cheek remains untouched.

She struck herself.

"Rouge."

"I can barely even think of the things I've done to her, to you."

He rises from his chair unsteadily, but cannot stand for long.

She catches him, despite herself.

He crumbles against her.

"What have I done?"

"You aren't a monster."

"You have an excuse for your actions, Shadow. But me? How do I explain myself?"

He feebly wraps his arms around her, burying his forehead against hers.

* * *

"What happened to you?"

"I switched myself off."

"Off?"

"I was in some sort of stasis. Healing."

"I hurt you that badly?"

"No. I did it to myself."

"I don't understand."

"I shut myself down when I realised you were so desperate, you were fighting back."

"I still don't understand."

"I know you're typically unwilling to hurt me."

"But I'm sick."

"A bit like me?"

"No. We're quite different."

Shadow is on the floor, sitting close to Rouge, leaning on her shoulder.

"In the heat of the moment, I was struggling to regain control over this weapon that is my body," he says, eventually. "I heard your voice, but at the same time, the noise of it drowned you out."

She rests her chin atop his head, her head turned to watch a space of the wall.

"Your violence struck a cord with me. In the shock of it, I retook enough of myself back to shut my body down. But before then…"

She feels his hand settle into hers.

"In those late nights you held me, comforting me after my bad dreams had passed - but in my head I watched Maria die all over again - and I felt so helpless in your arms, you weren't a monster."

She feels him interweave their fingers together.

"In those early morning talks about my fears over breakfast, I saw only you, the way you tried to be patient and tender with me, not the monster you claim to be."

She feels him tighten his grip.

"The way you'd flirt with me. How often you told me that I'm beautiful, how you almost made me believe it, sometimes. How hard you tried to make me feel less like a construct, more like a man. That wasn't monstrous, to me."

Weakly, she reciprocates.

* * *

"Are you… okay, now?"

"Not quite."

"Oh."

"I can sense them, the Black Arms. There are remnants on this planet. I was able to find them whilst I fought with myself. I know where they are."

"You're planning on hunting them down, aren't you?"

"I am a danger to those I care about if I don't."

"This will fix you, then? Fix you, like I couldn't."

"I'm a prideful bastard and I assumed I had to shoulder my burdens alone for far too long, which is as stupid now as it is untrue." Shadow's expression softens. "I had you, with all your faults and screw-ups."

"I wasn't enough to fix you, though."

Her hand in his, he answers quietly, "You have done enough."

She lets this sink in before asking, "When are you leaving?"

"Soon."

"How soon?"

"Very soon. When I feel stronger."

"You should eat, then."

"I… I should, yes."

She sees his discomfort in his eyes. Feels it in his grasp. "How cognisant were you, during your stasis?"

"I heard snippets. Felt…" He doesn't say the rest, his eyes darting aside.

"You felt me."

"I did."

She releases his hand, pushing herself to her feet.

He keeps his eyes averted as she retrieves food from what is left. Momentarily looks at her when she brings it to him.

She places the burger in his hands.

"Thank you."

She steps back and watches him eat.

He stops trying after a few bites.

"I was supposed to look after you." She hates herself.

He stares ahead, now, with an unreadable expression, the leftovers in his hands.

"Honey, I… I'm…"

The moment of silence between them seems to stretch for miles.

"You don't have to apologise."


	6. Chapter 6

Rouge opens an eye when she hears the door click shut.

Topaz stands in the room, tall and tired.

"Honey."

"I've been thinking."

"Me, too."

"Yeah, I figured."

The bat gently pushes Shadow aside before rearranging him on the arm of chair, its seat large enough for them both. Just another thing that makes them so different from humans.

Their human steps further into the room, in time for an embrace around her midsection.

"Thank you."

"You've already said that."

"I'm not the one to sweep you off your feet. You already knew that. You always knew that. But you gave up your life to be with me. You stayed. You've come back."

Topaz strokes Rouge's head.

"I want you to leave me, now."

* * *

"Are you mad at me?"

They stare at the point at which the road vanishes into the horizon, the car yet to vanish with it.

"I am, a little."

"Me, too."

Shadow tangles his fingers within those of Rouge in only the way they can – a familiar thing, theirs.

* * *

"This isn't funny." Topaz chuckles anyway, even with the tears in her eyes. "What'll I say?"

Rouge loosens her arms eventually, then steps back, looking aside. "That you were my hostage."

"I see."

"Shadow will recover soon. We can make it on our own."

"You'll take care of each other."

"Something like that."

"You don't need me."

"It hurts to say it, honey, but I don't."

* * *

"When do you want to head out?"

Shadow thinks very carefully about how he ought to reply. The answer seems obvious. He's able to stand on his own. He walked without help and without the cover of the blanket to say goodbye, astounding the lady at the desk. Not yet strong enough to run, he will fully recover, soon. But he hesitates, eyes following the metallic gleam in the distance, growing more distant, still.

Rouge is trying not to seem as hurt as she feels.

* * *

"I'll probably fall apart a bit, but then again, when did I last feel whole?"

Topaz frowns, sighs, glances at Shadow, sleeping or pretending. "You discussed this with him, yet?"

"No."

"I doubt he'll object."

"Hon."

"When do you want me gone?"

Rouge takes the hand that had entangled itself in her silky hair, drawing it out from between her ears for a wet nuzzle. Just as abruptly, she lets go.

The hand falls limply.

* * *

Shadow doesn't know what to say. He has never been the talkative type, although much of his past with Maria remains hazy on better days. He is sure she made it easier. Even Rouge.

But now the bat is making this so difficult.

* * *

"I need a plan. We need a plan."

Shadow clenches and unclenches his hand. He's regaining his strength at an astonishing rate. As expected of the Ultimate Lifeform. He scoffs.

Rouge is very different without makeup, but he already knew that. It's as if she tries to mask how naturally attractive she is with absurd colours. She's pacing across the clearing, between the trees.

He wants to bitterly reprimand her for staying after Topaz left. But he's secretly grateful not to be alone.

* * *

"You are exemplary agents. GUN might take you back. The Commander is not an unreasonable, heartless man. Neither of you presents the same inherent…" Shadow's typical frown, softened with fatigue, softens further with sadness. "Threat, that I do."

"I won't leave you," Rouge says very suddenly, interrupting the silence that had settled in the room.

Topaz assesses them briefly, one alien at a time.

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"I'm ready."

Rouge takes a deep breath, then spreads her wings.

Shadow feels it. The rise of her bosom against him. Inhales her sweat and musk and faded perfume. So familiar but not in an entirely comforting way.

A gust as she takes off stirs his quills, chasing away the dust. She surges upward, cradling him close against herself.

When he opens his eyes, it's to look at the skyline.

"Which way?"

He points and she surges again.

* * *

"It's okay. Go back with Topaz."

"And what about you? How can I just let you go?"

"I can strip myself free of the influence of the Black Arms and return to you, someday."

"And then what?"

Shadow doesn't enjoy being so pathetic.

"Think you can just come home and everything will go back the way it used to be?" Rouge wipes her face, flushed.

"GUN will be looking for you," says Topaz, more calmly, more detached.

"I can evade GUN as much as I have to. They won't waste the resources for too long. I can avoid confrontations in the meantime." More gently he adds, "I don't want to harm humans."

"Think you might earn our trust again, someday?"

* * *

"You could catch up to her."

"Please, honey. Don't."

* * *

"I admire your stubborn loyalty. But I want what's best for you."

"You're telling me to choose."

"No." Shadow attempts a smile. Quiet, uncertain. "I'm pleading with you to make the right choice."

"The right choice." Topaz scoffs, then dips her head, then sighs.

"Hon…"

"You're both so cruel to me."

Rouge wipes her face again, as if to aggressively erase the expression.

"You know I don't stand a chance."

* * *

"Rest."

"I can keep going a while longer."

"Rest," murmurs Shadow again.

Rouge grunts and descends gradually to the ground.

He knows her legs absorb much of the impact and he knows she's tired by the way she stumbles to catch herself with his weight in her arms.

* * *

"At least let me know you're okay, someday."

Rouge hides in Topaz's bosom, ears pressed flat under a caressing hand.

"I don't know how you'll do it on the run. Maybe you'll settle somewhere else. You can call me, then. I'm not expecting you to come back. Not without him, at least."

The bat cannot speak.

"Please try not to get into too much mischief out there." The human speaks so softly, which somehow makes it harder not to cry." I won't be able to reprimand you."

Shadow stays away, staring at his reflection, distorted on the door of the driver's side.

A few more murmured words, then suddenly, "And you."

He grunts. Grateful to hear no trace of bitterness in her words.

"Take care of this idiot for me, okay?"

He grunts again, his reflection betraying the greater extent of his reply.

* * *

"We can spend the night here."

Rouge nods obediently.

Shadow muses how, when operating as a team, they always did exchange the role of leader on occasion.

She barely responds to him as he shuffles over to where she sits, dropping onto the patch of grass beside her. His chest is full of unintelligible emotions.

* * *

Topaz stares at the car from the outside, door open, its seats empty, through a wispy trail of cigarette smoke.

It's getting dark.

She feels the weight of the gun as she turns it over, and over, and over, thinking unsettling thoughts.

* * *

"Was this always your dream for us?"

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You and me, alone together, somewhere remote."

"Maybe. Is it so strange?"

"Actually, it's rather beautiful."

"Even now?"

"Even now."

"It was either myself with you, or myself alone, after Maria left. There was, is, no one else."

* * *

Shadow wakes as Rouge lands beside his reclined form, having dismounted the branch.

She doesn't comment on how he's curled up at the base of the tree she had used as her perch for the night, the roots almost forming a protective nest, a place which he had crept to in order to be close to her.

* * *

"We should be going, soon."

"If you are ready."


	7. Chapter 7

A tired murmur into the phone, now propped between shoulder and cheek, "Hello?"

"Hey, hon."

Topaz drops the knife with a clatter, eyes widening over the carnage of salad vegetables spread across the chopping board. Her heart pounds. She feels dizzy. Leans forward to catch her breath, catching herself on the countertop. Her messy, tomboyish fringe tosses forward with her ducking head, hiding her unusual eyes from the scrutiny of her cat.

It is dark outside. Rouge is staring out into the darkness through the plastic. Affords a gentle little laugh, being on the other side, but feeling somehow partially consumed. Torn apart.

In the silence, the human can only focus on staying conscious.

The bat grinds her sharp fangs together, then attempts some sham of a smile and through it, murmurs huskily, "Sorry it took so long to call you, honey." A sigh, uttered between teeth. "Shadow and I have been, uh… busy. But we did it."

Topaz shakily reaches for her eyes, wiping them with fragrant fingertips – spices. Probably unwise, but she doesn't care for that right now.

"We're okay. Intact. Resting. Y'know?" Rouge laughs again, with so little strength. "It's been… quite a battle for us, both."

"What…" The human is momentarily stunned by how she sounds. Her voice, so unlike the old soldier's tone. Reminding herself that she is no longer the same soldier she used to be, but wishes she was – the past she tries to keep present, but without the respect and trust of other soldiers that she is used to, because she associated so closely with the dangerous freaks and aliens, the traitors – so nowadays she finds herself turning over and over again that gun at day, at night, in her hands or in her mind.

"Yes?"

"Huh?"

"You were asking something."

"O-oh."

"The, uh… Black Arms remnants were destroyed, if that's what you were wondering."

"I see."

"We found their den and wiped them out. Shadow was… ferocious. I feared he'd lose his mind in there, but he was so angry. That's all."

"That's all?"

"All he needed was to be angry. They didn't stand a chance. Not that I stood around doing nothing, mind you. I was pretty neat, too."

"Are you, um…?"

The bat notes the increased hesitation.

"Are you coming home, soon?"

Rouge breathes in and out, slowly.

"Not soon, then?"

"Not soon, but maybe someday."

Topaz groans into her fingertips.

"Hon, it'll be a little while before that happens, but I do think we'll be back, someday."

"Alright."

"But don't let that bother you. This is something worth celebrating. Shadow's free."

"Mm."

"Do you have that bottle of wine I bought you? The expensive stuff."

"No."

"You drank it all already, huh?"

"By myself, yes, shortly after you left me that second time."

The bat leans heavily against the support of the phone booth. She'll likely be tracked, but the call was worth it and she has a little time to disappear, again.

"You haven't settled yet."

"No. We'll be wandering a while, yet."

"Say hi to your companion for me." The human doesn't sound bitter.

Rouge nods pointlessly. "I hope you're well, otherwise."

"I'm still a soldier."

"That's great."

Topaz moves, making her way over to a modest little stool. She pulls it back, scuffing tiles, and sits herself down, leaning heavily on her elbows, head still bowed with the phone pressed still against it.

"The Commander likes you. A decent man, that one. Decent enough to see how wonderful a woman you are."

The human listens to the bat's speech. Seemingly detached, as if numb, but privately clinging to every melodic, husky word.

"You have far too much integrity and skill for even GUN to find some reason to kick you out, or worse, execute you. But I was still… you know."

"Worried about me."

"Oh, honey. I wish I knew how to say this more eloquently, but I…" Rouge grinds her forehead against the booth. "I miss you. I want to touch your hair and smell your skin. Curl up in your lap and annoy you with my teasing, because I'm so cruel."

"You rarely annoyed me, actually."

"But I have been very cruel."

Topaz buries her eyes in her hand, shuddering, now.

The bat can hear the tell-tale stuttering of breaths, struggling to bypass gritted teeth and a thickened throat. Still wearing her dumb smile because she really doesn't know what else to do with herself. Still staring into darkness, beyond her reflection in the plastic.

"Y-you… shouldn't beat yourself up too m-much."

"Hon, I cannot beat myself up enough."

The human sobs very quietly and with little movement. It took great private, personally assigned training of her design and strength to be able to sob without being overheard, without any stern eye seeing. She had to seem the part, for the sake of those soldiers who turned to her for orders.

"I've hated myself for years. This is just… a reminder, an old wound bleeding fresh because this situation picked it open, to remind me of what a terrible, unlovable mess of a person I really am."

Topaz has no consoling words. She simply cries into her hand, the tears seeping through her caged fingers, the nails digging into her face.

Rouge squeezes her eyes shut, now, trapping herself in her own darkness, her ears pressing flat against her head, forehead aching.

* * *

Shadow turns his head as Rouge first emerges from somewhere in his peripheral vision. Probably slipped in through the open window, knowing her. Returning, as stealthily as she snuck out.

She mutely collapses into the chair opposite.

He flinches, then rises from his own seat.

She stares at the floor of their room.

"Rouge?"

She remains motionless, silent, misshapen where she sits.

He wants to make this okay, even if he cannot make this right. "Rouge."

She doesn't resist when he takes her chin in his fingertips.

* * *

"How you feeling, big guy?"

Omega remains silent, motionless, a little stooped where he stands, his lenses fixed on the floor of Tails' workshop.

The young fox sighs, offering a gentle pat on an enormous, battle-scarred metallic arm. "Maybe you won't be as powerful as before, but… you're still alive, right?"

"Incorrect. I am not alive. You kinder meatbags and my absent colleagues merely pretended otherwise."

Blue eyes soften warmly.

"Analysis," rumbles the robot after a moment of ticking thought, with uncertainty bordering on wonderment, "I am registering pain."

Tails looks up, feeling only empathy for the robot. That comparatively tiny hand settles on a metallic claw, now, conveying comfort and understanding far surpassing the fox's youth.

Omega's claw curls a little bit, as if to answer the touch with some cold, timid mimicry.


	8. Chapter 8

"He's new."

Topaz leans heavily against the doorframe, her gaze lowered.

"Cute little scamp, aren't you?"

Her young cat is currently weaving about Rouge's legs, purring noisily.

The bat is amused but also very uncomfortable. She dangles her fingers to affectionately graze the furry creature in passing, but her eyes are on the human before her, searching for a reaction.

Topaz says nothing, yet she doesn't appear volatile at all. Not even close to tears. There's a vague, strange sort of acceptance.

"I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced like this, but…"

"You never used the front door, before."

"Oh…"

"You always snuck in through a window. Unannounced. Even when you became strange and tried to distance yourself from me."

"I felt it best to be tactful for a change."

"You mean, polite."

"Yes," Rouge murmurs, scratching the cat's head.

"Well, then." The human's tone remains quiet and mellow. "Would you like to come in?"

"It pains me that you have to ask me that, honey." The bat bites her lip, uneasy. It's still as lovely and as rare a gesture as it ever was.

The cat purrs noisily in the pause.

"I'd… love to come into your home."

"But."

"But… I understand that I'm probably not… entirely welcome, here. And that's absolutely understandable and I'm fine with it. Well, not fine, exactly. I'm actually torn up inside just thinking about–"

Topaz unexpectedly swoops down, scooping Rouge into an embrace.

The bat grunts, then gasps, helpless to stop the tears blinding her eyes as her mind spins.

The human hums off-key, soothingly.

A neighbour disapproves of them from within the limited worldview of his window.

"I… I…"

"I know." The humming continues for a moment, then is interrupted once again by a murmured, "I missed you, too."

* * *

"Thank you."

"Do not thank me."

"You didn't try to kill me on sight. I'm very thankful."

"We were comrades."

"Yes."

"And I sense you were not – yourself – at the time."

Shadow approaches slowly, carefully, his expression soft. "That doesn't excuse my hurting you."

"Yet I am willing for us to be comrades again," drones Omega in an unusually gentle, unhappy way, as a hand settles intimately upon his metal breast.

Thrumming metal against clothed flesh. Underneath, another connection, timidly restored.

The hedgehog caresses the robot's chassis in the place where there had been a wound, now patched over. "Tails?"

"Affirmative."

"He's taken good care of you."

"Acknowledged. Gratitude has been communicated."

"I'll be sure to thank him, too."

The break in Shadow's voice draws Omega's claws upward, gleaming and sharp, to gently envelop the hedgehog in a facsimile of an embrace.

"Thank you," the hedgehog whispers again, closing his eyes and resting his head against the robot.

* * *

"Didn't take you very long to find us."

"I'm a fast guy.

Rouge smirks weakly at that.

"And our friends miss you. Me, too."

Shadow stares at the wooden floor.

"So, you can imagine how much running this took outta me." Sonic looks between them, his expression carefully moderated. "You gonna be comin' home soon, or do I have to beg?"

Neither the bat nor the dark hedgehog offers a reply.

"Maybe I oughta just drag you home?" The blue hedgehog sets his hands on his hips, firmly.

"Sonic, it's–"

"It's simple. I get why you're hiding out here, living out your little fantasy, together – whatever. Your love life is your business. But ditching your friends like that, with no warning or goodbye or anything, when we coulda helped you instead? That was really, really disappointing."

Shadow seems more pained by Sonic's lecture than Rouge.

"What do you think friends are for? After all we've been through, didn't you trust us at all?"

* * *

"I'm not ready for children."

Rouge watches the cat play with one of his toys.

Topaz watches Rouge.

"What's his name?"

The human smiles quietly.

The bat squeezes the hand cradled within hers.

* * *

"The threat has been totally destroyed?"

"I feel nothing of the Black Arms."

Omega's steps are slow and lumbering.

"I'm free." Beside him, Shadow strolls more easily, with a contemplative expression. "Finally. I can… have a life."

"Analysis; you already do."

"Yes, but this is different."

"You already did."

"I… I appreciate what you mean by that, Omega."

"You are accepted within Team Dark. You are accepted beyond. You were accepted years ago."

"I was dangerous."

"You are dangerous."

"But now, I can be trusted, again."

"You were trusted."

"I'm…"

The robot takes a few more steps, then sways to a stop, spinning slowly on his axis to look back at the hedgehog.

"I'm not sure." Shadow is standing still some paces behind, his red eyes wide. "I don't know."

"Elaborate?"

"Am I any different? Are things different, now?"

"Hmm." There'd be something funny about Omega saying such a thing, if he wasn't obviously capable of independent thought – as much of a person as these sentient organics.

"Things have changed. It's not just how I see myself. Right?"

"Rouge would likely disagree."

"And Sonic, too." The dark hedgehog turns to look at the horizon, visible from this high, open place. "I'm their friend."

"Affirmative."

"And now, I am in control. But my vulnerabilities never frightened them away to begin with. None of them."

The robot draws closer.

Shadow hears the metallic footfalls on the dirt, then feels the claw on his shoulder.

Omega is close beside him, now.

The hedgehog places his hand over the robot's claw and smiles.

* * *

Their friends move forward all at once, crowding Shadow and Rouge with their differing expressions of anger at past abandonment softened by loving reconciliation.

It's a party with actual fanfare, thanks to Sonic's timely notification and Amy's excellent planning, welcoming them home.

But Omega is missing.

Tails, when questioned, says he might know where to find the robot, with a warning that he may want to be left alone.

Shadow feels brave enough to try.

Rouge politely excuses herself for a similar reason, but when she takes flight, she makes a turn for the city where she hopes, and dreads, to find Topaz. Brave enough to fly.

* * *

"GUN won't be happy to see us, Blue."

"I've already spoken to 'em." A handsome, playful wink. "Used my heroic influence, y'know."

"Oh, hon…"

"I can't guarantee things won't be a bit messy – GUN won't be happy to see you two, but the Commander seemed reasonable about it."

Rouge turns to Shadow.

He stares at Sonic.

"And the Commander knows he's got no chance of hurting ya whilst your friends are around. I reminded him of that last bit as an aside. Heh. Still, when I left his office, it felt like I wasn't leaving behind harsh feelings. Guess he's softer than he seems, eh?"

"Blue, you didn't have to do this for us."

"So?"

"Thank you, Sonic."

"Nah." His green eyes seem to flood with tenderness as his casual façade falls away. "Just come home."


	9. Chapter 9

"I've done some thinking, whilst you and Shadow were gone."

The cat is asleep in Rouge's lap. The bat's expression is cautious, although she fusses fondly with ginger ears.

Topaz stares at her bare feet, her hair a tomboyish mess. The human drives her toes through the plush carpet and flexes her jaw.

"What did you think?"

"I thought about us."

"Okay."

"We're tragic, but we're not impossible."

Aquamarine eyes wander intimately over pale, muscular limbs, exposed by casual clothes that are appropriately sparse for the hot weather.

"I know I'm prejudiced. I've rejected you. And I'm sorry."

"Honey, it's not your fault. I've never blamed you for–"

"I want you."

A sharp, stuttering intake of air.

"I'm actually in love with you. I accept that." Unusual eyes remain strong beneath soldierly brows. "I'm sick of pretending otherwise, or questioning the way I feel. And I want to change. For you. So I can… So I…"

A large hand, almost human, finds an agitated knee and stills it.

"I want to be with you, in more ways than this. And I understand if you don't want to risk putting yourself at my mercy. But I need to know, first."

Glassy nails barely press into skin.

"Are you in love with him?"

They sink a little deeper.

Topaz doesn't rush Rouge for an answer.

The bat continues to fuss with the cat in her lap for a while longer, saying nothing.

The human contemplates another cigarette.

"I'm his best friend. So, in a way, maybe I am."

"Oh."

"But what does being in love even mean? It's not limited to one specific expression, is it?"

"I suppose not."

"So, maybe I am in love with him, but it's not the romantic or sexual kind of love. I'd put my life in his hands and I know he'd take care of it with his own."

"Then, I might be in love with my men."

"You're a good leader. I'm sure they're all bonkers for you."

"I did find an anonymous Valentine in my locker, once."

"Did that make you smile?"

"It did, yeah." Topaz feels Rouge's hand relax.

"Look, honey, I'm a monster."

"I've killed people. That makes me a monster of a sort, too."

"I took something irreplaceable from him. Something precious and sacred. After doing something so vile, I don't want to be his woman. Actually, I never did. I hate myself, but I'm so grateful that he's still my best friend, and I'm still his."

"I'm glad that you two remain close."

"We are close, but we shouldn't be. I shouldn't be with you, either. I deserve to be alone."

"That doesn't make me love you any less. I want you to stay here, with me."

"Dammit, why the hell do you still want me?"

"We're monsters." The human smirks aside at the bat. "And I know the goodness inside of you, just as you know mine."

Rouge sighs over the cat in her lap, causing his striped back to ripple beneath her scratches.

Topaz leans a little closer, draping her arm about slender shoulders.

"Your parents."

"Give them time to adjust. If they can't accept the woman I love, then that, I'm afraid, is their problem."

"Can you handle the way people will look at us, when we're obviously together, in public?"

"You don't care, why should I? I'm done with being a pussy for the sake of their comfort."

"And when I intend to kiss you, I'll look in your eyes. Will I see rejection? Will your blameless virtues, which you call prejudices, catch up with us?"

"I asked you for another chance. Please, give me this chance."

"I've had my heart broken by you over and over. I don't think I can survive another break."

"Look at me."

The bat rarely appears frightened or nervous, but her expressions are beautifully naked as she timidly lifts her head, her gaze soon following.

The human turns fully, calm and at ease, to gaze back.

Rouge's countenance grows crooked, flooded with an array of other emotions. She searches Topaz frantically, snowy brows arching.

"Am I rejecting you, still?"

The bat discovers desire, affection, and a pleasing sense of confidence in the human's eyes.

"What if I try kissing you? Do you think I'll suddenly change my mind and push you out?"

"Don't tease me."

"You're so beautiful."

"I want you to be very, very serious, right now."

"I mean it. You're the most beautiful woman in the world. I want you, every inch of you."

Rouge doesn't stop the tear that cascades sensually down her cheek, glittering, like a diamond.

"I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay. And I want to kiss you."

"I… I love you. And I'm incredibly turned on right now."

"That's good. So… Can I kiss you?"

A moan indicates consent.

Topaz ducks her head swiftly, yet softly brings their lips together, as if afraid to bruise the willing mouth she tastes.

It's as if a fire, that had been burning quietly, but steadily, now swells swelteringly within them.

The bat helplessly shivers, her hand raking across the human's thigh, lost in her eyes, surrendering to her physical prowess.

Topaz tries to mount Rouge, but is soon thwarted by an unhappy meow, informing the women that they have unknowingly sandwiched the cat.

He is given barely enough room to squeeze free, his fur bristling. He nimbly leaps off the couch and trots toward his food and water bowls. He is dissatisfied with what he finds.

As the human slips her hand over the bat's right breast, grasping an erect nipple between calloused fingertips that smell of cigarettes, another meow demands fresh kibble.

* * *

"You're not in my debt. Seriously. We're friends, remember?"

Shadow valiantly shakes his head, crossing his arms over his breast, meeting the teenager's blue eyes with crimson certainty. "I cannot accept those terms."

"Well, that's very sweet of you, I guess…"

"I am the Ultimate Lifeform. Imagine the possibilities of this arrangement."

"I'm flattered, but I dunno what I could possibly get you to do, that'll make you feel like this non-existent debt has been settled." Tails sighs, leaning on the edge of his desk, splattered with ink and oil. "Sweeping? Moving heavy machinery, maybe? I could send you shopping for parts. Perhaps you could help me choose between paintjobs?"

"I will be available on that number when you do decide. Until then, I'll let myself out." The hedgehog offers an unusually friendly nod. "Take care, Prower."

"I'll try. See you."

He vanishes silkily out the door, his steps quiet, leaving the fox to ponder in his workshop.

"Hey. Maybe I could do with an assassin?"

* * *

Omega is trying to stack cards into the shape of a house.

Shadow neatly perches on one end of the couch, reading.

Rouge walks in on this familiar scene, their home having been attended to by the robot in the absence of the bat and the hedgehog. Her heart skips a beat.

Shadow the first to look up, naturally attuned to Rouge. He smiles, soothing her with his forgiveness.

Omega ticks, his lenses flickering in the light.

She gazes between her closest friends with adoration. "I love you both, so much."

A moment passes where this confession is nonverbally, yet openly reciprocated.

"Analysis." The robot makes an unimpressed noise, returning to his construction. "Age is making you soft. I am not referring to your structural integrity. But you are softening physically as well."

"Why, the cheek!"

"You're a wuss."

"I am not!"

"Are too." The hedgehog scoffs. "You're embarrassing, sometimes."

"Bullshit. I'm as badass as I always have been."

"Negative."

"In your dreams."

The bat sets her hands on her hips and frowns. "Fine. Be that way."

Shadow doesn't flinch when Rouge throws herself onto the space beside him.

Omega whirrs as his claw brushes a little too close to one of the cards, causing the others to topple in on themselves.

"See? That's what soft structural integrity looks like."

"Silence, meatbag."

"Be nice to him."

"I am nice. It's you two who are mean to me! Which is absurd since I'm the queen of this kingdom."

"Recommendation. We should overthrow her."

"Straight out the window, yes." The hedgehog reaches for the bat's arm, pulling her limb gently toward himself. "And institute democracy in her place."

She drifts until she contentedly rests her head on his shoulder, thankful that he desires her to be close to him. And more than that, she is happy to know that his mind is free from screaming. After all she has done wrong, this seems like a wonderful dream. She watches the robot patiently rebuild, bearing no grudge despite his abandonment and near death.

"I want noodles," Shadow declares after some time has passed. "Let's get takeout."

Rouge nods against him.

"Analysis." Omega pulls back after successfully adding a roof, throwing his enormous fists into the air. "I am perfection incarnate."


	10. Chapter 10

"It is a nice dream," Rouge murmurs hoarsely to Shadow. Dreams are all she has left, along with him, her ability to speak, and the certainly of her death. Some of which – and eventually, all of it – will soon be gone.

His eyes are closed. His head is bowed. Driven out of his mind and replaced with the hive, he buries his face in her paralysed flesh, nursing.

"This was so incredibly stupid of us both, wasn't it?"

It doesn't hurt, anymore. The toxins have effectively stripped her of the ability to feel much of anything, even panic, as she is devoured slowly by the hedgehog and by other things skittering, squirming, in the dark nest.

"I should've killed you when I had the chance. I could've ended your suffering and avenged our dear friend. You would've been proud if I had."

Omega's fate remains unknown, but not unlikely.

"Then I could've stayed with her. She would've taken me back. The way she looked at me, disgusted by our differences. She totally jerked off to me. I know she did. Everybody did. Even her stupid, selfish parents and their hypocritical values that deprived their daughter of so much happiness."

The friends left behind must be worried sick.

Sonic may very well be running around the world, searching, as imagined.

Topaz will probably find a human man and procreate with him, as she always wanted to do, but couldn't, due to the guilt. And she may someday quit the cigarettes.

"Mm. I wish I'd made that call." The bat tries not to listen to the noises the aliens are making. It's part of why she talks. That, and because she's simply lonely. "Whatever, I should've screwed her when I had the chance. Damn. I should've screwed them all."

The hedgehog pays no heed to his erection, pressing uselessly against webbing. Somewhere deep inside, Shadow may still be alive. Screaming. Or perhaps he's asleep.

"Knuckles. Sonic. Amy. Blaze. Oh, yeah, Blaze. She'd have been nice. Real nice. But at least I… Well, I took advantage of you, y'know, when the opportunity presented itself. So there's that. I should feel bad about the shittier things I've done, but considering our current circumstances, honey, I don't. You've more than made up for my sins."

His teeth glimmer, wet, sneering.

"Ah. It'll only be a few more days, now, anyway. What's the use in feeling guilty? None of it matters. Nothing matters. And dare I hope? Hey, a lot can happen in a few days, right? Maybe someone will find me. But maybe it's best for them, that they don't. You'd just eat them, too."

He ejaculates, shuddering.

"It'll only be a few more days."


End file.
